randomly complimenting people is great. what did it cost u? nothing. and u probably made their day.
One time i was at Disneyland, and this lady walked into the bathroom scowling. It was obvious she was overweight, and I felt bad for that being the first thing I noticed about her.
So I took a moment to watch her to find something else to notice when I saw her hair. To this day, it was the most beautiful head of red curls I have ever seen. I mean seriously, even Natasha Romanov couldn’t compete!
I tapped her on the elbow, smiled and told her “your hair is absolutely gorgeous!”
I have never seen a scowl disappear as quickly as hers did. All my friends were shocked (in a good, pleased way) as we left and wouldn’t stop talking about it and tbh I wish it wasn’t so surprising that I would compliment a stranger.
So, if you’ve read this, here’s a little challenge. When you see someone and instantly notice something bad about them, take a moment to notice the good. And then maybe tell them the good.
This is such a good idea. because I promise you, if you notice something ‘bad’ about a stranger, they’ve noticed it their entire life. They’ve scowled at it and cried about it and wished with all their heart it didn’t exist. And they’ve probably heard about it from strangers and friends and family alike.
But if you notice something good, you might literally be the first person who has ever told them about it.
Be that hero for someone if you can. Heaven knows we all need it sometimes.
A gentle reminder that the “last lynchings” were between 1981-1991, so
it’s less than 40. The CRA act was passed 54 years ago. Not enough
people want to hear or remember that.
People have been lynched in the 21st-century in the South North East and West lynching is still going on the last document lynching doesn’t mean shit these people still killing us extrajudicial vigilante injustice by the police state takes us Black folk out everyday unfortunately
If Democrats take the House, their current ranking member of the Financial Services Committee becomes the chair of the committee, and has the power to subpoena Trump’s bank records. That member is Maxine Waters. Vote.
Your periodic (almost daily at this point, lbr) non-sims reminder to Americans to PLEASE VOTE, remind your friends and family to vote, all those good things.
If you were registered to vote a year ago or more, check and make sure you are still registered, especially if you are a naturalized citizen. Voter rolls are being purged like whoa.
Don’t assume you’re still registered. Please please please check, and do it soon, because some states have cut-offs.
the real purpose of the gates is to prevent paparazzi from invading his privacy (https://www.instagram.com/p/BhkVHmFl-Hg/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=naslt019wanw). the linked quote is also mentioned in the article. he’s also done work with homeless shelters/charities in the past. i’m not necessarily a fan but y’all need to fact check before reblogging sensationalist headlines
Yacouba Sawadogo is an exceptional man – he single-handedly managed to solve a crisis that many scientists and development organizations could not. The simple old farmer’s re-forestation and soil conservation techniques are so effective they’ve helped turn the tide in the fight against the desertification of the harsh lands in northern Burkina Faso.
Over-farming, over-grazing and over population have, over the years,
resulted in heavy soil erosion and drying in this landlocked West
African nation. Although national and international researchers tried to
fix the grave situation, it really didn’t really make much of a
difference. Until Yacouba decided to take matters into his own hands in
1980.
Yacouba’s methods were so odd that his fellow farmers ridiculed him.
But when his techniques successfully regenerated the forest, they were
forced to sit up and take notice. Yacouba revived an ancient African
farming practice called ‘zai’, which led to forest growth and increased
soil quality.
Something 19th and 20th century Western science consistently overlooked is that a lot of traditional methods are exquisite examples of the scientific method in action, the product of testing hypotheses and comparing results and control groups iteratively, over a period of hundreds or even thousands of years.
Respect ancient wisdom. Respect ancient science.
Some things we did in the ancient world need to be re-examined- and some don’t. Farming is a great example of this.
I mean the whole damn point of the Nativity story is that the supposed son of God (interpret Jesus how you fucking want, of course) was born to a couple of poor, exhausted peasants in the stable for the inn, and his first bed was a feeding trough for animals. That would nowadays be like a poor couple where the mother gives birth in a parking garage behind the motel because they couldn’t find a better place and nobody else would take them in. It’s a pretty gritty setting, and the idea is that God was reborn in some of the rock-bottom lowest circumstances. The only thing majestic was all the angels and shit, and of course motherly love
I get that a lot of the art portraying Madonna and Child as fabulously wealthy europeans in splendid robes and golden light was meant to glorify God + whichever nobility was sponsoring the artist, and while of course it’s genuinely beautiful art, it just always struck me as horribly missing the point, which is that the supposed son of God started in incredibly humble circumstances, among the kind of people that everyone else looks down on
‘Massacre des Innocents’ by Leon Cogniét, 1824. Although the Feast of the Holy Innocents is in a couple of days time, this painting is still really relevant in that it portrays Mary as how She really was: a scared refugee mum, so fearful that Her son was going to be one of the Innocents killed by King Herod.
i know there was a lot of controversy when that aesthetically beautiful but essentially pop-culturey and trans-exclusive book “WITCH” by Lisa Lister came out. you know the one. the black matte cover, crescent moon C. throughly instagrammable, but full of hot garbage. i’m not bothering to post a photo because honestly i dont think it deserves that kind of free press.
BUT If you’re anything like me, you were innocently carousing the bookstore with no idea of what kind of mess you were in store for when you purchased it and were greatly disappointed by its pages.
For those of you with the same experience, I offer to you this alternative:
“Becoming Dangerous” is a book edited by Katie West and Jasmine Elliot of Fiction & Feeling, and offers deeply personal, empowering essays about magic and ritual by trans witches, nonbinary witches, disabled witches, and more!
I haven’t gotten through the whole thing yet, so I can’t vouch for it in its entirety, but I’ve read through the first couple essays and so far it seems like a great alternative.
It doesn’t have “how-to’s” or spells per se, but you get a deep and intimate look into other people’s personal crafts and worldviews. And there’a a lot to be learned from that honestly.
I will keep you updated once I finish on my full thoughts and how it might relate to my thesis.
I hope this helps any of you out if you’re looking for some better reading material! Let me know your thoughts if you get your hands on a copy.
Happy reading!
****i was not sponsored by anyone to say this, i just am excited about it and want to help some witches out****
!!!
Are there any State-side shops carrying this?!
HELLO YES THIS IS RELEVANT TO MY INTERESTS
was just about to make a post about how I’m curious to find info about trans witchcraft beyond glamour spells and dysphoria alleviation (which are important and valid but I’m interested in more)
I just don’t understand where this concept of ‘fake geek girls’ came from. Like, AT ALL.
Cus when I look for fandom related stuff like 90% of the fan art and the fanfiction and the meta, zines, comics, etc. Like 90% of the shit that I’ve seen is created by women & girls.
And all that stuff take’s a lot of work and research and critical analysis and staring at reference photos for hours.
We are literally the most well versed and invested group in the fandom. So, like, What the fuck boys? You mad you can’t keep up?
I saw an argument, and I can’t find it now, but it totally made sense, that there’s a gender split in fandom. Male fandom tends to be a curator fandom; male fandom collects, organizes, and memorizes facts and figures. Male fandom tends to be KEEPERS of the canon; the fandom places great weight on those who have the biggest collection, the deepest knowledge of obscure subjects, the first appearances, creators, character interactions.
Female fandom is creative. Females create fanart, cosplay, fanwritings. Female fandom ALTERS canon, for the simple reason that canon does not serve female fandom. In order for it to fit the ‘outsider’ (female, queer, POC), the canon must be attacked and rebuilt, and that takes creation.
“Male” fandom devalues this contribution to fandom, because it is not the ‘right’ kind of fandom. “Girls only cosplay for attention, they’re not REAL fans!” “Fanfiction is full of stupid Mary Sues, girls only do it so they can make out with the main character!” “I, a male artist, have done this pin-up work and can put it in my portfolio! You, a female artist, have drawn stupid fanart, and it’s not appropriate to use as a professional reference!”
In the mind of people who decry the ‘fake geek girl,’ this fandom is not as worthy. It damages, or in their mind, destroys the canon. What is the point of memorizing every possible romantic entanglement of heterosexual white Danny Rand if someone turns around and creates a fanwork depicting him as a bisexual female of Asian descent (thus subverting Rand’s creepy ‘white savior’ origins)? When Danny Rand becomes Dani Rand, their power is lessened. What is important to them ceases to be the focus of the discussion. Creation and curatorship can work in tandom, but typically, in fandom, they are on opposite poles.
This is not to say that there aren’t brilliant male cosplayers or smashing female trivia experts, this is to say that the need of the individual fan is met with opposing concepts: In order for me to find myself in comics, I need to make that space for myself, and that is a creative force. Het white cis males are more likely to do anything possible to defend and preserve the canon because the canon is built to cater to them.
This is genuinely the best post I have ever read.
Comment bolded by me because effing important that’s why.
This.
This throws a whole new light on the whole “diversity is PC garbage, get out of our industry” perspective. If stuff not tailored to the curators becomes canon, if their comfort space shrinks and the comfort space of different demographics of curators grows, no wonder they feel uncomfortable just doing what they’ve always done and can’t pinpoint why.
Wow, this is such a great commentary, thank you guys!
Artisan Scribbles 